Same goes for the actual product. At a fraction of the money ask, Checkpoint Asia does nearly as much quantity-wise, and picks content that, in my opinion, is smarter and more worthwile for the long run than what anybody else does.

Thus far 33 of you are backing the site for the next 3 months with $805. Thank you!

Germany Rejects US Request to Pull Its Chestnuts From Syria Fire as Soon as It Is Made

Editor’s note: Foolish of Trump to ever think this could go through, and doubly foolish to make the request public. Now he just has egg on his face.

At most Berlin was thinking of offering some kind of air patrol — which is extremely troubling in the sense that Berlin is willing to thread on Syria’s sovereignty as part of horse-trading with Trump to lessen the chance of a trade war — but ground troops were always a non-starter.

Germany did not send ground troops when ISIS was actually still around, why would they send them now, when the only job left is to keep Damascus from its land and Erdogan from crushing the Kurds? Germany also has millions of Turks and hundreds of thousands of Kurds, and also needs Erdogan to keep the 3 million Syrian refugees in Turkey. Germany risks far more from a fallout with Turkey than does the US.

Germany has rejected a US request for German ground troops to move into Syria.

German government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Monday that Germany would not increase its military presence in the country.

“When I say that the government intends to continue with its ongoing measures in the framework of the anti-IS coalition, then that means no ground troops,” Seibert said.

‘Significant military contribution’

The German military currently provides reconnaissance jets, a refueling aircraft and other non-combat military assistance in the fight against IS.

Germany has “for years been making a significant and internationally acknowledged contribution” to fighting Islamic State, Seibert said.

The US has called for European countries, including the UK, France and Germany, to pledge more support to the fight against Islamic State.

Increased German presence

The US special representative for Syria and the anti-Islamic State coalition, James Jeffrey, had told the German news agency dpa and newspaper Die Welt that he wanted “Germany to provide ground troops, partly to replace US soldiers.”

He said on Sunday he hoped the Bundeswehr would support the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) by providing technical assistance and other expertise to them. The SDF are based in the north of the country and now face mounting pressure from Turkey.

During a visit to Iraq in June, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany would be ready to extend the mission beyond October, when it is due to expire. But it is the German parliament that will have to approve any extension of the mission beyond October 31.

While CDU party leader and possible Angela Merkel successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is prepared to negotiate Germany’s contribution in Syria, many MPs in the SPD, which is part of the government, are against extending the mission.

The Greens and the Left party also reject any extension to the mandate, including the deployment of ground troops to Syria.

Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU lawmaker in the foreign affairs parliamentary committee, echoed Kramp-Karrenbauer’s view. He told DW that parliament would have a thorough debate and that there was “no reason to either reject or euphorically welcome” an extended Syria mission.